Do You Ever Use Two Or More Devices At A Time For Navigation? (If So, Why And When?)

If traveling outside my local area I usually use CarPlay with Google Maps (satellite) and WAZE on another phone. If traveling a significant distance where cell signals could be spotty I will also bring my Garmin.

Mainly my Garmin and backed up by Google maps in car or Waze.

If I'm navigating a complex route, like frequent changes between city & highway, I'll use two GPS units simultaneously. One with the display set to north up and the other track up. That way, I never loose my sense of orientation, and am less likely to miss or make a wrong turn.

As Jim1348 says, the second unit is also handy for setting side trips to POI's, restaurants, gas stations, etc. without loosing sight of the main route.

My GM vehicles also have in dash nav systems but I rarely use them. They are out of date and the dealer wants $450 to do an update. Instead, I use the screen to display Waze via Apple Car Play or Google Maps.

I have used both my GPS and my phone to give me directions. Usually only on trips of more than three hours. I like to compare the route each wants me to use.

I have used both my GPS and my phone to give me directions. Usually only on trips of more than three hours. I like to compare the route each wants me to use.

Lately I've been using Waze to enrich the traffic information provided by my DS-51. I can see slowdowns on intersecting roads that I may have wished to use. Waze seems to have a lower threshold for presentation of the dreaded red-line roads.

I haven't used them together for navigation.

I did this in the late 2000s, when the nüvi 1300LM was still relatively new. I had both my 200W and 1300LM connected and mounted on the windshield next to each other.

My Ford Ecosport has Android Auto so I generally use Waze. I had purchased my DriveSmart 76 for my Dodge Journey, which didn't have built-in GPS. For a while after I had gotten the Ecosport I still had the 76 connected. I removed it from the car about a month later. If I were to be heading on a long trip however, I'd be using both it and Waze at the same time.

Why? One for navigation with the vehicle pointing forward, and the other as a normal map oriented north, so I can see where I am.

I get that most folks nowadays can't actually read a map (sorta like they say a manual transmission is a gen Z immobilizer), so what I do is considered dumb. I just grew up with actual maps so I like to see one oriented north. It has helped at times when traffic backed up, I could tell if I could cut a corner or not.

You should be able to see where you are on both of the screens!

I typically used my standalone GPS device, but there are times when it is easier to use something like Google Maps on my phone.

While routing it one aspect of using two or more devices for navigation, traffic is another important aspect. I recall some discussion years ago about traffic on Garmins. The Garmin website states all traffic services receive traffic data from HERE.

Google Maps gets its traffic data from a mix of real-time smartphone GPS signals (anonymized), historical traffic patterns, user reports via Waze, and official data from traffic sensors, cameras, and government transportation agencies, creating a powerful, constantly updated traffic picture.

Apple Maps gathers real-time traffic data primarily from anonymous, encrypted data from iPhones (probe data) showing speed and movement, combined with official data from local authorities, third-party providers like TomTom, and user-submitted incident reports for accidents and hazards. This crowd-sourced approach creates a dynamic picture of road conditions, helping to generate accurate travel times and route suggestions, while protecting user privacy through rotating identifiers.

For those here using two or more devices at once, do you find the traffic feature of one better than another?

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=i34WV8maJa11t7iwvYnz18

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Traffic

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/check-traffic-conditi...

I had an accident in SC where I had to leave my vehicle for repair. I had a standalone GPS at the time. The rental has a GPS in dash. I tried running my standalone, in dash, and waze at the same time. I looked at the routes ahead of time and thought I had a good handle on which direction. They contradicted each other so much I went to my GPS and waze. They were closer. What I caught sometimes was the streets were called out as a name or a number depending on the GPS. I actually had to pull over and relook at the route.

I never thought about the North Up Vs Track Up in terms of paper maps, but that certainly makes sense. I grew up with paper maps and north was up, of course. My wife is almost 10 years younger and she prefers Track Up, while I prefer North Up.

hello

I have started using CarPlay with Google Maps as Garmin is less up to date on “places”. Garmin for Red Light cameras, school zones etc as well as speed reminders.

Garmin doesn’t seem to be really interested in the car GPS business, probably because so many of us don’t update/replace our GPS that often.

Since they don’t do update maps AND the road, business etc in many cases for YEARS.

Been a Garmin guy since my StreetPilot C300 back in 2006.

I use Google Maps via CarPlay as my primary navigation device and if CarPlay isn’t cooperating Garmin will be used as the primary device. I will use the Garmin as secondary for longs trips or for trips which are new to me… or if I just want to see what route each device has come up with.

I prefer to run with track up as I am visually oriented and sometimes miss the audio prompts and will take a quick glance at the device screen to see what the next required action is.

I prefer north up to get the lay of the land but I prefer track up when I'm actually trying to guide my car about.

Thank you bdhsfz6 for mentioning that solution. Same out of date GPS here as well. I will now look into connecting my iPhone 15 Pro Max to my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I am hoping the Jeep is not too old to just plug it in.

A quick Google search indicates that there are other solutions that require a new screen. In that case I will seek a qualified installer.

I rent cars when out west around NV and AZ and use Waze from the phone using Android Auto. Then as I get further out into the desert, the cell signal drops off in spots and that is when I am using my Garmin DS55. At home, I have a Pioneer head unit with built in nav and when I travel to northern NYS, cell signal drops so I can switch the Pioneer from Android Auto to its internal nav which isn't always the best but better than nothing.

I have a in-dash navigation system which shows me what is ahead (turning angle). My Nuvi 3597 gives me turn by turn instructions.
My wife has her hand-hold Google map to verify I am on track.
All work well together for a safe drive.

My wife does Door Dash, and there have been times when the Door Dash app says it can't locate the delivery address. She enters the address in the Garmin, and it finds the location.

Nice to have Garmin and phone maps available. Can set views to different distance coverage. Also, like the Garmin Rest Area POI better.

Garmin as a main, but I always glance at the route recommended by Google Maps/Waze as the user-sourced live traffic data can't be beat. There are also times when the Garmin will pick a weird route that I'll end up fixing, using the navigation apps as a reference.

My wife is also younger. A 4th grader told her all about her vehicle because he likes it. So I told her, maybe you should know a thing or two about it so you can have a conversation with him.

I asked my wife do you know how many HP your vehicle has? She said no, but I'd guess 6?

try adding 414 to that number. If I were to switch the in vehicle nav to north, she is thrown off. It's no longer useful nor helpful to her.

She does drive a manual, to her credit, most her age do not.

Admittedly, if I had to only have 1, it would be oriented in the direction of the vehicle.

My dad told me I was that kid telling him all the specs on all the cars when I was 5. I remember the family station wagon was 280 HP and 375 ft. lbs. I checked it recently and those numbers are correct....

To contrast our former Buick Enclave was 288/270 and quite underpowered Those who paid attention during physics know why the 288 is not significant lol And yes on that nav we kept it north actually. The screen was very small

The past two days I have been running my Garmin Nüvi 3597 Vs. Driveluxe 51 side by side to see how they compare to one another. It has been a fun and interesting experiment.

This morning, when i powered both of them up for the first time, it was interesting to see one of them get signals before the other and be ready to navigate.

Another thing that I find interesting is even though they are getting data from the weather station at a small airport north of me, the current temperature displayed will sometimes vary by a couple of degrees.